FC Barcelona have closed the season 2011/12 with record revenues and profits, as announced by the clubs financial vice-president Javier Faus. During the season 2011/12, the club earned €494.9 million, while expenses were revealed to be €441.1 million. Operating profits were recorded at €125.8 million, Profits before taxes at €53.7M, and the Net profit at €48.8 million. The Net debt, which was €420 million two years ago, has now been downgraded to €335 million.

Compared with the previous year, the Club has increased revenue by €21.5 million and has reduced expenses by €31.5 million, figures which by far exceed the budget forecast from an year ago. Javier Faus has emphasized that these dramatic results have been achieved without the need to sell assets or any of the first team players. In addition, investments have been made on players (Cesc and Alexis) which have exceeded the business plan of the Board.

Regarding income, highlighting the growth of 11% as much on marketing as on issues related to the Camp Nou. “The improvements in attendance and ticketing services have been dramatic”, said Faus. However, he acknowledged that the media income, primarily related to television rights, “have peaked and we do not expect increases in the next 5 years.”

The saving of variables

As for expenses, which have been reduced by 6.6% over the previous year, Javier Faus has clarified the impact on variables the club not having won the league was €12 million net. “If we had won the league overall profit would be €36 million and would have still remained the highest in history,” he said, recalling that “it is not true to say that the club not winning the league has won us €50 million.”

Saving these variables have had a positive impact on the closure of this year, but they are not the only one. There are also other important contributions, positive deviations with respect to the budget and the improvements with respect to the profit – the improved sales in FCB stores and Nike Megastore, the savings that were made by outsourcing Barca TV, selling Maxwell and other youth transfers, training and assignment rights, among others. As for the negative deviations, the main impact on the accounts was been made by the liquidation of the contracts of Hleb and Henry.

The salary, stable

The salaries, including all sports sections of the Club, has been reduced slightly to €298 million, in line with the salaries of the past three years. “It’s difficult to reduce this figure further and still maintain stability,” said Javier Faus, who expressed his satisfaction that this puts the revenue to salary ratio at 61%, close to the optimal sustainable figure of 55%.

As Sandro Rosell announced while discussing the balance of the season, the club devoted much of those profits to reduce the net debt, which was lowered from €365 million at the end of June 2011, to 335 million euros at 30 June 2012, according to audited figures. In the past two seasons, the net debt was reduced by almost €100 million euros.